“Mum, where are my good shoes?“
Jaina shouted, running through the Solo apartment excitedly.
“Here, sweetie!” Leia came from the living room into the hall, Jaina’s shoes in her hands. “You know
you could find your stuff easier if you’d put them in the right places?” Her mother asked, leaning against the
doorframe with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Where are you going?” Leia asked, as Jaina hurried into the bathroom and brushed her hair the seventh time in
the past ten minutes.
Jaina stopped and debated shortly whether to tell her mother or not.She probably already suspects it. It’s not really unobtrusive what I’m doing here…

Jaina came out of the bathroom and slipped her brown robe over, then smiled at her mother.
“I have a date.” Somehow she felt very happy to tell her mother about it, almost as if sharing a wonderful secret
with her mother.

Leia’s reaction couldn’t have been better. She immediately beamed and looked at her daughter proudly.
“That’s great! Just one advise, be yourself. Don’t try to change yourself for him; if he doesn’t like
you how you are now, he doesn’t deserve your love.”
“Thanks, Ma!” Jaina went over and embraced her mother, who only winked at her.
“I was also young once.
Have fun!” She wished, before she released her daughter.

When the door had closed behind the excited young woman, Han came from behind and wrapped his arms around her. “This
is how they go…” He said, kissing her cheek.
“Any idea who the lucky young man is?”
“Nope.” Han replied, moving Leia down the hall and in the direction of the main door.
“You know, I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman as you.” He said to his wife, giving her his famous scoundrel
grin.
“Would you like to date an old smuggler like me?”
“Anytime, laserbrain.” The princess returned smilingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina used every Jedi calming technique she had ever learned on the way to the restaurant.
Her heart was beating so loud and she just hoped it wasn’t that obvious to everyone around her.

She stopped in front of the restaurant, unsure of whether Kyp had reserved a table for them. She glanced at her reflection
in the glass entrance door:
Jedi-Robe, lightsaber, brushed hair.That’ll do. She decided and entered.
A brief look at her chrono showed she was 15 minutes too early; but better too early then too late.

She asked a waiter for a table on the name Durron and was lead to a cozy looking corner of the restaurant, where a wooden
table with two chairs waited.
She took the one seat and tried to relax.Well, if Kyp doesn’t like me, he just could have ignored my question and never told me when he has time.

The dim light made it difficult for her to make out any details, but she immediately recognized Kyp when he entered.
She waved and Kyp came over, squeezing her hand softly before sitting down.
“Hi.” He said, smiling at her in his usual, heart-melting way.
Jaina felt how her legs started to shake, but she suppressed it as good as she could and hoped Kyp wouldn’t notice it.

The conversed about their families before the waiter came and asked for their drinks.
In the whole conversation, Jaina couldn’t turn her eyes away. Kyp in return never stopped smiling at her.
She was somewhat surprised he spoke so freely about his dead family, but she only loved him more for giving her this insight
into him.

Time seemed to fly and suddenly the waiter arrived with their ordered food. Jaina couldn’t even remember what she had
ordered, but judging from the look of it it was something with chocolate.
Kyp, she noted, had the same meal, which spoke for him having a good taste.

They ate their meal in relative silence, with mostly Jaina speaking and therefore being slower then Kyp, but he didn’t
seem to mind.

Then they talked a lot about their lives, how things had changed during the war and all the pressure that lay on their shoulders.

Jaina was very sad when they finished meal and had to go.
“Kyp? Will you wait while I go to the ladies room?” She asked, afraid he would just disappear if she turned her
back to him just once.
“Sure.”

She hurried, not wanting him to wait too long, but made sure to check her appearance in the mirror in the ladies room.You’re worse then Raynar! She thought angrily, ashamed of caring so much about how she looked like.

Relief flooded through her when she came back and saw Kyp examining the restaurant and patiently waiting for her.

They left together and wandered through the park, chatting and joking about simply everything.

Half an hour later they entered a shop; Jaina anxiously following Kyp in. He led her to a frame with all sorts of candies
and waved with a chocolate bar in front of her face.
“I can always eat; especially this chocolate bar. It’s my favorite type and this is the cheapest shop I’ve
found so far.”

He brought ten of them and later they sat down on a bench in the park. Members of every species walked through it, enjoying
the warm, sunny day, but Jaina only had eyes for Kyp.
He offered her one of his bars and she accepted. It tasted far better then she had thought and her opinion of Kyp rose even
farther, up into the sky.

Jaina noticed her legs were starting to tremble again and this time, Kyp also saw it. He just put his hand on her leg and
Jaina felt how she both blushed and relaxed.
Kyp just smiled at her warmly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina was quite disappointed when they both had to leave, not wanting to miss their training this day.

She still stared at his back when he walked away, immediately missing his presence and his smile, but remembering his last
words.

“See you later, Jaina.”
His voice saying her name softer then she’d ever heard it before.

She would see him again, that was all that mattered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jaina, how do I ask someone to go out with me?” Tenel Ka asked her after the training, when they both went home.
Jaina snapped out of her Kyp-daydreaming, surprised by her friend’s question.

“I don’t know. It happened after I had decided to leave him alone. I just went over and asked. Looking back it
was really easy, I’m happy I’ve done it and I’m sure you’ll also be brave enough for making the first
step.
Is it still Jacen?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you should do it. I know he loves you too.” Something I’m not sure Kyp feels towards me. She
thought sadly.

Tenel Ka fell quiet for the rest of the walk.

Later, Jaina was convinced her best friend had decided not to try it, till she looked down from her balcony later that evening.

A girl with red hair, wandering hand in hand with the brown haired boy of her dreams between Coruscant’s nightly buildings
and the stars.